NEW FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON NAMED

　　W ang Wenbin， former Chinese ambassador to Tunisia， was named the 32nd spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and deputy director general of its Information Department.
　　Wang， born in 1971， joined the ministry in 1993. He has worked in different departments of the ministry and the General Offi ce of the State Council， as well as in Chinese diplomatic missions in Senegal， Cameroon and Mauritius. He served as China’s ambassador to Tunisia from 2017 to 2020.
　　His appointment came after former spokesperson Geng Shuang was named deputy permanent representative of China to the United Nations.
　　Wang said he looks forward to introducing and explaining China’s diplomacy and policy in order to promote understanding and friendship between China and the rest of the world， at a press conference on July 17.

Sharing Growth Plan

　　People’s Daily July 20
　　The past decade has seen a significant drop in the number of Chinese people living in poverty， a great success in terms of modern economic and social development.
　　According to the international poverty threshold set by the World Bank， an income of $1.9 per day， more than 800 million people in China have been lifted out of poverty since reform and opening up started in 1978， accounting for over 70 percent of the global total in the same period.
　　China’s experience deserves the world’s attention， from increasing poor people’s income to modernizing agricultural production and establishing a social security mechanism， which is the largest in the world.
　　Moreover， the Chinese Government has enhanced support for the poor through improved medical care and facilities in rural areas. In recent years， with the advancement of e-commerce， the rural economy has witnessed new market opportunities. Through ecommerce， enterprises have participated in economic development， while driving investment in rural areas.
　　China has also contributed to global poverty elimination. It was the first country to form a strategic alliance with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to foster SouthSouth cooperation. It has provided technical and fi nancial assistance to improve agricultural production capacity and food security， sharing its plans with other developing countries.

Precautions Remain

　　The Beijing News July 20
　　Beijing announced it would lower its emergency response to the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19） from Level II to Level III from July 20， at a press conference held by the Beijing Municipal Government on July 19. The capital had reported no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 for 14 consecutive days by July 19， and all mediumrisk areas had been cleared. 　　However， the city will continue to stick to the strategy of preventing imported cases and local resurgences as part of its regular COVID-19 control. For example， venues such as parks， tourist attractions and libraries will open only to limited visitors. In addition， to prevent local resurgences， the capital will step up epidemic control and prevention at farm produce markets， restaurants and bars， construction sites and factories. Environmental monitoring and health situation reporting will be carried out at farm produce markets， while underground spaces with poor ventilation will be off limit. Stringent inspections of food imports will be maintained.
　　At the press conference， people were also reminded to prepare for a possible outbreak in the fall and winter， and emphasis was placed on continued consolidation of current results through environmental remediation， community sterilization and garbage sorting. The municipal government has established a scientific and practical mechanism that can effectively control the spread of the virus in a short period of time and provide regular prevention and containment methods.
　　It is necessary to enhance the social understanding of COVID-19 transmission since the global pandemic has not been contained. New policies such as gradual reopening of cinemas and inter-province travel call for flexible prevention methods based on the epidemic situation and social development premised on regular control.

New Impetus

　　Economic Daily July 20
　　The National Development and Reform Commission and 12 administrations recently issued a guideline to support the healthy growth of new business modes in a bid to spur consumer spending and create more jobs nationwide.
　　It pledged to offer greater support to self-employed individuals， including those using e-commerce and live-streaming platforms， for reducing entrepreneurship costs. Efforts will be stepped up to promote the micro economy and encourage side businesses. The guideline also listed measures to explore new modes of online services， accelerate the digital transformation of industries and foster new modes in the sharing economy.
　　Traditional individual businesses， such as shops or stalls， have solved many people’s employment problems and contributed to social development. At the same time， Internet development has built a larger stage for the expansion of the economy.
　　To support the development of new business patterns， more space should be provided at the policy level for entrepreneurship. For example， administrations should design solutions for possible problems related to consumers’ rights. Supervisory departments need to develop new methods and improve services according to individual economy characteristics.

LIFE-LONG FIGHTER AGAINST VIRUSES PASSES AWAY

　　Zeng Yi， academician and virologist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences， died at the age of 92 in Beijing on July 13.
　　After graduating from Shanghai Medical School， now Shanghai Medical College， Fudan University， in 1952， Zeng decided to pursue virology research because diseases caused by viruses， such as cholera and polio， posed a threat and people had limited understanding and medical treatment.
　　In 1984， Zeng took the lead in HIV research in China. Through epidemiological investigation and experiments， h e proved that the virus fi rst came to China from the U.S. through blood products to treat hemophiliac patients during 1982-1984. Three years later， he isolated China’s first HIV-1 strain and established a rapid diagnostic test.
　　In addition to scientific research， Zeng put considerable efforts into HIV/AIDS education and intervention. Along with other experts， he wrote to the State Council three times， offering advice on prevention and treatment of AIDS in China.
　　“The current situation in China-U.S. relations is not what China desires to see， and the U.S. is responsible for all this. We once again urge the U.S. to immediately retract its wrong decision and create necessary conditions for bringing the bilateral relationship back on track.”
　　Statement by Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 24， announcing withdrawal of consent for the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu in response to the U.S. asking for the closure of the Chinese Consulate General in Houston two days ago
　　“Let’s face facts. The global political and economic system is not delivering on critical global public goods： public health， climate action， sustainable development or peace.”
　　UN Secretary General António Guterres， calling for a new model of global governance with inclusive and equal participation， while delivering the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture on July 18
　　“I think the fundamental question for the U.S. is very simple： Is it ready or willing to live in peace with another country with a very different culture， and political and economic system， and cooperate on the many growing global challenges？”
　　Cui Tiankai， Chinese Ambassador to the U.S.， commenting on China-U.S. relations in an interview with CNN on July 18
　　“It’s double standard. Terrorism in China is seen as ‘people attacking other people because of the system.’Things are amplified through the lens， and the lens is an anti-Chinese Government policy.”
　　Lionel Vairon， former French diplomat and a sinologist， sharing his views on the West’s policies toward Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with CGTN on July 21